Shaken Not Stirred

It’s cocktail time here as we cruise the coast of Cuba and we have our iPods plugged into these handy Altec Lansing travel speakers so we can listen to music as we sit barefoot in our cabin, playing cards and sipping summer drinks. We’ve spent most of the day celebrating the switch to hot weather by sitting on the upper deck of the Queen Victoria enjoying glasses of Stella, giving each other high fives, slathering our pasty bodies with sunblock (hot, I know...) and swimming in one of the two pools. The good thing about going on vacation with British people (besides the fact that they have cute accents and spell things like program "programme") is that they're paler than you are, and more likely to burn. (e.g. We were not the only dorks with Coppertone 30+ poolside.)

I was also a lucky enough girl to receive one of my birthday presents early – the new Flip Video Recorder and it’s pretty much the best travel accessory ever. It records up to 60 minutes of footage, is lighter than an iPod and is roughly the same size as a deck of cards. Within 30 seconds of receiving it I had installed the batteries and figured out how to use it, so don’t worry if you’re not a techie – it’s pretty basic. Best of all, you can edit your videos, add music and do all sorts of cool things with the footage once you download the video to your computer. And, for your enjoyment, our…

Summer Cocktail Playlist

Water No Get No Enemy – Fela Kuti
Represent, Cuba – Orishas & Heather Headley
Listen Up! – The Gossip
Family Reunion – Jill Scott
Number One – John Legend & Kanye West
Mary Jane (DJ Green Lantern Remix) – Rick James
The Seed (2.0) – The Roots & Cody Chestnutt
Music – Erick Sermon & Marvin Gaye
Good Time – Leela James
Little Mysteries – Rickie Lee Jones
Bandy Bandy – Zap Mama & Erykah Badu
I’m Still In Love With You – Sean Paul
Hey Baby – Stephen Marley & Mos Def
Bedstuy Parade & Funeral March – Mos Def
Big Chief – Dirty Dozen Brass Band & Dr. John
Whole Lotta Loving – Lenny Kravitz & Rebirth Brass Band
Tell Me What We’re Gonna Do Now – Joss Stone
LDN – Lily Allen
Heart of Glass – Swan Dive
Funky Kingston – Toots & The Maytals
Inspiration Information – Shuggie Otis
Hey Love – Stevie Wonder
Yes, Yes, Y’all – Sergio Mendes & Black Thought, Chali
Too Drunk to F**k – Nouvelle Vague
Chan Chan – Buena Vista Social Club
Guajira – Yerba Buena
It’s Your Last Chance To Dance – Preservation Hall Jazz Band
My Girl Josephine – Taj Mahal & The New Orleans Social Club
I’m On Your Side – Keb’ Mo’